I was five when we moved. I remember moving into what we called the little house. And that's exactly what it was, it was a small little house. It was white, and attached to it was a larger house that my great grandfather lived in. The little house didn't have enough bedrooms for my brother, my parents, and I so while our kitchen, our bathroom, our formal living room, and our TV room, as well as a small upstairs play area were in the little house, our bedrooms were in the larger house with my great grandfather. I can't imagine growing up anywhere else. My great grandpas bedrooms downstairs and my parents my brothers and my bedroom were upstairs. My brother and I shared a room and closet growing up and my parents bedroom was attached to ours by a single door. It might have been a small house which may not be ideal for many families but I can't imagine growing up anywhere else. You see, living in that little house taught me so much. And while the house taught me so much, the man that was born in that house taught me much more.

My great grandpa was a man of faith, family, support, love, and most importantly a man of God. Every time I walked into his house and into the kitchen he thanked me for coming. My brother and I often ate breakfast with him, and lunch as well, in summer. He often had Honey nut Cheerios for almost every meal. There are so many specific details that I remember about my great grandpa, its hard to choose a few for this.

Each specific detail made an impact on my life. Each specific detail taught me something. My great grandpa read his Bible every single night out loud and I can remember sitting before I went to bed listening to him read it. He also read it at lunch and in the morning. And when he went to bed he prayed and you could hear him from our bedrooms. Growing up I took gymnastics and I would practice cart wheels in his living room. After every single cart wheel he always Clapped and cheered me on. It meant the world to a little girl trying to be good at something. And I remember He would sit in his chair and watch the squirrels in the tree in front of his window. It was things so simple to me but he made them meaningful.

At the age of five my parents let me get my own pet, I got a cat and her name was dancer. Dancer lived in grandpa's house with us. She's soon not only became my best friend but his as well.

When my grandma came to give him lunch or go out to lunch with him, my brother and I would ride in his Oldsmobile car with them and they would take us through the drive-through of McDonald's for lunch, my brother and I would get our food and then my grandma, grandpa, and great grandpa would go get their lunch. It wasn't just a car ride with him it was more than that.

He also had these pillows on his couch that had real feathers and then and I can remember my brother and I plucking them out. And as kids whenever my brother and I found treasures outside, such as worms are butterflies we always ran into show grandpa Dean our treasures.

You see, I was named after his wife, Sarah Elizabeth. And he never ever forgot my name even when he grew very old, he always knew who I was. After many years of Sharing a home with him, we decided to build our own house next to his and tear down the little house. Growing up I began to get busy with school and sports and I didn't see him as much, but I always made my best effort to go see him next door. And every time we drove up our Long lane driveway you could always see my great grandpa in his chair waving at us no matter what time of day. He had the greatest stories to tell. But my favorite is when he told me that we live in the best place in Indiana. The farm. When we moved into our new house next-door, we decided to let the cat stay with grandpa. He loved her so much, and she loved him, even though she scratched him sometimes. He would feed her so many treats and he even cut them up for her. She was spoiled rotten and that showed. And even though she scratched him sometimes he loved her anyway. Two peas in a pod, Dean and Dancer.

My great grandpa grew to be very old. He made it in his 100s. But one of my favorite last memories of him is sharing something that we both had in common. We both held a key to the city of Nappanee. It was a special moment to share with him.

I love my great grandpa. He was the greatest man I've ever met. He was so full of love for the Lord. He had the best stories. He was the greatest cheerleader. The best cat treat feeder. And the best great Grandpa I could've ever been given. I'm so grateful.

I am blessed to have grown up with a great grandpa and grown up at the best place in Indiana. And every time I go past his grave I blink my lights like we did when he waved to us as we drove up the lane because I know he is waving back at me from heaven.

I could tell you many more things I loved about him but if you have a great grandparent, take an hour or more out of your day and go talk to them, ask them to tell you stories, because they truly are the best stories.

Dear sweet Sarah, how proud Aunt Linda and I of you - you are mature beyond tour years. Oh, yes and such a beautiful young lady, both inside and out, very poised and professional. Sarah, you have accomplished more in your short life than most could ever dream of and your future already shining forth as you are continuously seeking God's will and leading - just more evidence of your maturity. But then with parents, grand parents and Great-grandpa Dean how could it be any other way.

I loved the way you shared your special memories of Dean, thank you so much. Now may I share a special remembrance with you...a goosebump God thing for sure.
When you walk with Christ in your life mere circumstances just don't happen - God knows and He cares and knows what we need and when we need it, even when we are going through the fires and sorrows of this natural life. After all, we are but aliens in this world, as our true home is already awaiting us in heaven ...PTL!
Well here goes it, this event occurred when Dean was at the Milford Nursing Center. Steve and Kathy, Rod and Maribeth and Linda and I were rotating our visits to be with Dean. Now I had one of those feelings that once it comes it just stays and it felt like God had whispered to me that we would be the ones who would discover that God had called Great-grandpa to come home... to his Eternal Home. Well, we were on our way, driving down to Milford to visit with Dean and Linda was on her cell phone to let Maribeth know that we would soon arrive. Maribeth and Rod had been with Dean in the early afternoon and Maribeth told Lindy that Dean was now sleeping, and with our soon arrival, that she and Rod would be leaving to go back to Nappanee. Well, here's where the goosebumps happen... as we were southbound on state road 15, just north of Milford there is a large overpass. Milford at this point is approximately 2 miles ahead and the Nursing Care Center is one the west edge of town. There above Milford, Indiana, even though it was not raining at the time, was a bright beautiful rainbow with the brightest portion descending on the west edge of Milford. It was then that I felt confident of the feelings I had experienced for the previous two weeks. Within ten minutes we entered Dean's room to find that he had slipped away peacefully in his sleep. I checked for vital signs when Linda went down the hall to gain assistance. I picked up Dean's wrist to check for a pulse... there was none, his wrist was still quite warm. God's sign in the heavenly was Dean being ushered into "the best place over Indiana" and we all miss him so very much.

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Sarah Stump

3/30/2017 01:38:18 pm

Roger and Linda,
Thank you so much for your love and support throughout my life. As well as for your comment on here! I love that story of grandpa! It definitely gave me goosebumps, I had no idea of that God story and he sure is in the best place over Indiana now. Thank you so much for sharing this story with me. :)

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Well known for her love for Jesus, coffee, and having one arm. Sarah share's stories in her life in hope to help others. She wants you to know that, "Our differences do not define who we are but are a part of the story that God has written for our lives." Sarah says, " I hope that I can be someone to relate to in a world of untold real stories. Everything I write is from my heart and real." "We are all created imperfectly perfect by God, we should be proud of our imperfections and differences, they make us who we are today but do not define us, know that you are beautiful and remind yourself of this everyday."